Once a trader bought a large number of coconuts. He loaded them onto his horse cart and set off for his home in the village. A little later, he encountered a small boy on the road. He asked the boy how long it would take to reach the main road. “Go slowly and you will reach the main road in ten minutes,” replied the boy, “but if you go fast, it will take you half an hour or more.” The trader thought that the boy was surely a fool.
So, he decided to double up his pace and drove away at a great speed. Suddenly, fifty metres down the road, one of the wheels of his cart struck a stone. The coconuts could not bear the sudden accidental jolt and the next moment the trader saw his coconuts lying in all directions. It took him a very long time to gather all the coconuts and put them back in the cart. He was very much tired after the whole process. He climbed back wearily into the driver’s seat, and with the boy’s words ringing in his ears, drove slowly and cautiously the rest of the way.
